Searing Flames
by Dr1v3n t0 1n5aN1Ty
Summary: For as long as I can remember, I have lived in a cage in a place called the Institute... Ever wondered what happened to the kids that Max saved at the Institute?
1. Prologue

For as long as I can remember, I have lived in a cage in a place called the Institute. Whitecoats treated me, along with others, every day. Why? We were their experiments, their tests. None of us knew about the outside world. Heck, we didn't even know it _existed_! We were not educated, only considered dirt and filth underneath the people above us.

And who are 'we'? We are, as some people call us, mutants. The whitecoats altered our DNA, by inserting bits of animal DNA. So, some of us can morph into cats or dogs, have gills _and_ lungs, or something else. Some of us have gone totally wrong, with too many or too little body parts. Some of us die, yet some of us live.

I have wings. Avian, or bird, DNA was injected into me long before my memory can recall.

Who am I? My name is Searing Flames, or Sare for short.

And this is my story.

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_**A/N-**_ I hoped you liked it! Yes, this is an intro of my story. Just so everyone knows, this story isn't going much into what exactly happens after Max saves the kids at the Institute, just mainly about this one girl's life... Of course, if you have _objections_... I can always change it:D


	2. Institution of Terror

Like I said, my name is Sare. Life for me hasn't exactly been too high on the 1 to 10 scale, but hey, what would you expect from a lowly mutant, eh?

A normal person's earliest memory would probably be of their mother or father, being all nice and kind and helpful and all that. And for the average not-so-normal mutant, it's of wacked-up mad scientists cutting you open for an experiment. See how different lives can be?

I grew up in a place called the Institute. I don't know too much about it, besides the fact that the people there probably do illegal things, and that it's in New York City. I used to be even more ignorant, but there was always one person who I could fully trust, one person who helped me through everything... Someone who, besides the members of my band, was basically the person closest to me.

Jeb.

And now? Well, now I know that it's not true. Completely, utterly _false_.

More about that in a moment.

In a place like the Institute, there's not much to do, except sit around, moping, biting anyone that comes near you. But after a few close chomps, I actually had some friends. No, not with those whitecoats (yeah, like _Hi there, how ya doing? Let me just cut you open and experiment this little thing right here on you!_ I am so sure) but with some other mutants, like me. Together, we kinda made our own snug group, or a band, as we call it. Life was a little better afterwards, but anyway...

In our "band," there are seven members: Kar, Tavian, Avery, Brooke, Chai, Rey, and me. We all have our different powers, our different mutations. Kar, who is actually my younger brother, had his DNA mixed with that of a dog. Because of that, he has a heightened sense of smell and hearing. Pretty useful for knowing what other people are saying.

Avery and Brooke, both currently ten, are human-fish hybrids, but we're not that sure what they can do. Chai, who is thirteen, is a feline mix. He's quicker and defter than most, which once again, is useful. Tavian is amazing. He's the youngest, seven, and who knows what scientists did to him? He can create illusions, right in front of you, so real and life-like you don't know if you're dreaming or not. He can also turn into any animal in the blink of an eye, which is very cool, in my opinion.

So that leaves Rey, and more about me.

We are both avian-human hybrids, bird genes. We can fly, and are lighter, quicker, and stronger than a normal human, probably way stronger than you. He is fifteen, like me, and well... let's just say that our relationship is very close and leave it at that.

I'm pretty short, about 5'1", with bright red hair and brown eyes. I have a wingspan of about 10 feet. Kar is basically almost the same, but with darker, browner hair. He's also much taller. Avery has wavy brown hair, and is the sarcastic one out of all of us. Brooke is her inseparable companion. Tav is the baby of the band, always making us laugh. And Rey? he's quiet, but understanding. you can always count on him. His tawny wings are 15 feet, from tip to tip, and... I'm rambling, aren't I?

Well, we barely got by, all seven of us, but somehow miraculously made it through. And it was all because of Jeb.

That traitor.


	3. Who Said We Weren't Tough?

_Disclaimer: _Wow, I completely forgot about these things! Well, I dont own MR! Stop chasing me w/ a chainsaw! (Lol, inside joke )

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_April 10, 2005_

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**Project:** AVB-N001  
**Working Attendant:** Kalis Conner  
**Subjects:** SF 82.1, KM 69, RU 207, AG 57.8, BG 57.8, CN 4, TQ 34  
**Stage:** Quota 2, Mid 1

– _Follow-up dated 0650 010706._

— — — — — — —

_How dare they._

I glared at the imbecilic whitecoats as they dragged Tavian out of the Experimental Hold, and into the Experimental Keep. Another name for living hell. There wasn't much of a difference between the Hold and the Keep; both were sound-proof, pig-iron steel torture rooms. The thick door, bare except for a large label, slowly swung closed. As it shut, the label seemed to laugh in my face. _Project AVB-N001._ Us.

Kalis, the whitecoat who was in charge of us, walked over to our cages and smiled sympathetically. "It's alright," she whispered. Then she walked away.

I slumped against the back wall of my cage. Poor Tav. Only moments ago, we had been joking around, with Tav as the main jokester. And then... Through the grapevine, I'd heard that we were going to be tested against fire today. Insane.

Through the bars, I glared at Kalis. She was one of those semi-nice ones, the ones who sympathized, but did nothing. Hah, we'd be better off with her trying to kill us! ...

I did _not_ just say that. Or think that.

We will _not_ die.

Death is sorta a touchy point with the band. Every day, we go through torture. And every day, we survive. Or try to. Usually it works. It's a hard world in here, and you needed to be better then everyone in order to live. An eat-or-be-eaten society, to put it simply. Luckily, us mutants tend to band together. Who said we weren't tough?

A loud bang jerked me out of my daydreams. Tav was back. I strained against the metal bars, concerned for the 5-year-old. He was so young... I would never forgive these whitecoats.

On appearance, Tavian looked fine. Not a scratch on him. But we all knew better.

"Tav, come on, wake up! It's okay, you can stop now," Brooke soothed.

In moments, Tavian's façade dropped. his illusions sapped away his strength, and he could not keep it up longer anyway. The boy we saw now was practically burnt to bits. Soot and dust covered his charred skin. Some places were black, and others were a bright red. Blood dripped out of cuts and scrapes. The hybrid winced every few seconds.

We all gasped. All of us had been in the Experimental Keep before, but we had _never_ gotten _anything_ as bad as this. I fervently prayed, hoping Tav would survive, that he would last another day, and more days to come. Without him, our band would be broken. I also wished that whoever came next wouldn't have it too bad.

That turned out to be a good idea.

A hulking great giant of a whitecoat slammed the door open. He glared down at his clipboard, then down at us. Scrutinizing us all, his probing eyes landed on me.

"SF 82.1. Come," he growled in a menacing voice. Kalis hurried to my door flap, quickly unlocking it. She gave me a tight smile, and beckoned for me to come out. I slowly obeyed, knowing the consequences of misconduct. _Beaten, electrocuted, drowned almost to the point of death... and the worst: more tests._

Shackles and chains were immediately put on my wrists and feet, leaving no chance of escape. I walked out of the room, and into the Room of Agony.

And although I didn't know it yet, that was when I saw freedom for the first time.

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A/N: You're all probably thinking, "Omc! She updated!!" Yes, I updated. Homework is SO boring, and writing fanfic is much better. This was a crappy chapter, but w/e, just be happy, the story's going along, lalala... xD 

EDIT: I fixed some things, since I realized my timeline was all wrong. Hehe, thats me, write now, think later


	4. First Flame

Whoever made the phrase, "Life's a breeze," ought to be shut up in a rubber room. Seriously. Life has _been_, it _is_, and _always will be_ hell. End of story.

I was dragged into the Keep. An empty, steel-enforced room, with odd mechanics lined up on the sides. I didn't even want to know what they were for. On one wall was a large window, where diabolic scientists sat and watched in the next room. Cold eyes bored into my skin, as if they could see everything I did, all my thoughts, my abilities...

The steel floor was slippery, covered with some oily gel. I stumbled, not quite falling, but the giant whitecoat growled, "Stay on your feet!" Screw him.

He walked me over to the center of the room, and quickly hurried out again. Sometimes, there was a metal surgery table there, but not this time. I stood there awkwardly, waiting for my nightmares to begin.

Nothing happened. Frowning, I looked at the whitecoats through the window. Most of their eyes were trained at another whitecoat who was staring at me intently. Obviously he was the head, the big kahuna. He was standing up, his body leaned towards the thick plexiglass. And his eyes... Just plain creepy. The sharp blue orbs were watching, always watching...

I shuddered and looked away, only to glance back again. The machinery had started humming ominously, getting ready for something nasty. The whitecoat was back in his seat now, observing with a slightly amused expression. Amused? _Amused?_ I'd show him amused, that fucking son of a b–

I screamed. Huge pipes had turned toward me, shooting jets of fire. The gel on the floor ignited instantly, but instead of engulfing me in flames, it crept toward me slowly, like a hunter and its prey. And the prey was me.

How had poor Tavian survived this? I closed my eyes. I didn't want to see my slow torture, my death, no thank you.

The seconds ticked by. What was taking so long? Not that I _wanted_ to die, but hey, shouldn't I be on fire right now?

I slowly opened my eyes a fraction, peeking at the flames. What I saw was... amazing. _Indescribable._ But I'll try to describe it anyway :)

What can I say? It was like one of those firework shows I'd heard about before. The fire wasn't my enemy, it was a playful friend, its flames licking at my arm and legs. There was no heat, only a slight whispering breeze every time I was touched by fire. The orange and red were entrancing, mesmerizing. A genuine smile slipped onto my face. This was fun. This was great!

And suddenly, it all stopped. For a moment, I looked funny, my arm outstretched to stroke a now nonexistent tendril of blaze. I quickly dropped my arm, reddening, not that the whitecoats cared.

I was afraid to look at the whitecoats. Obviously this was an unusual skill. I mean, can you say that you have the ability to not get burnt by fire? I think not! Of course I was happy I'd survived without a scratch, but then that meant that the experiment was _successful_. As in, _they would do more tests on me, because of this new power_. Oh joy.

Sometimes I think I'd just be better off dead. Really.

The door creaked open, and the gi-normous whitecoat from before scurried in. He cleared his throat and ahem-ed a couple of times. Finally, he just beckoned me towards him. A mischievous grin found its way onto my face. Was he... _scared_? Of _me_? How nice.

I walked toward him with a blank expression on my face. Pretending to slip again, I reached out to grab the man for support. At the slightest touch, he jerked away from me. _Definitely scared._

I was led away from the Keep and into the Hold (sounds like a freaking dungeon & castle), where, after getting the shackles taken off, I was practically shoved into my dog crate. The metal door slammed shut in my face.

The second the burly man was out, I was crowded with questions.

"Sare! What happened?"

"Omigosh, they said there was fire today! Are you okay?"

"There's not a mark on her, you idiot, course she's fine! What'd they do t'you anyway?"

"Ha, why'd Mr. Butt-Ugly look so freaked out? You work your magic again?"

"What happened, Sare?"

The last question came out as a dry whisper from Tav. He looked much worse than before, or maybe that was because I now knew what exactly he had gone through.

I simply said, "They found out."

The others knew what I was talking about. My "fireproof-ness" had been discovered when we had been playing with matches and a lighter that a whitecoat had carelessly dropped near us. It had always been a secret-weapon type thing, just in case we one day broke out of the Institute with a bang. But I had never thought that I could survive in a whole flaming room. That was just insane. But, hey, I did it!

Oh well.

At that moment, Kar raised his head a fraction. He tilted head towards the door, saying, "Someone's coming." We all became silent immediately, melting away into the back of our dog crates. _Don't pick us... Don't pick us..._ They picked the other experiments, the failed ones, or the more "interesting" ones, usually. Usually. _Don't pick us..._

The man who came in towered above our lowly cages. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see who was next. All was quiet, but it was like the calm before a storm.

When the door of my cage creaked, my eyes cracked open a bit. Then I blinked. In front of me was the head whitecoat from the Keep. Sharp, blue eyes gazed penetratingly at me. I shuddered.

"Hello, Sare," he said. His voice was alluring, using a light tone, hiding the deceit and lies I would later discover. But at that moment, all I could think of was that how nice he sounded, and how nice he looked. He had me totally captivated. I didn't even wonder how he knew my name.

Smiling slightly, the man continued. "Please follow me." As he stepped away, I snapped out of my trance. I scowled. But this had been coming to me anyway, right? Once the whitecoats found out about my power, _of course_ they would want to torment me more. Of course.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire, if I may say. Good thing I'm fireproof.

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A/N: Well, this has got to be a first. I udated two chapters in the same week! I mean, I did, right?... Whatever, well, this was kinda like a filler chapter, but what happened was pretty important, I think. And now, I need to do the homework I skipped because of writing this chapter...


	5. It's All Fun and Games

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April 3, 2006

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Living heaven. A funny phrase, don't you think? But, hey, if there's such thing as living hell, then why not heaven? It's only logical.

Logic. Something I've just recently learned, thanks to Jeb. He's like, my hero or something. Seriously! Before he came, life was painful, I lived in terror of almost everything. Now? Difference much.

How to start? A lot has happened in one year, really.

– – – –

I followed the man out into the hallway. No chains. I wondered what my chances of escape were. _Well, that window looks great... or not. It has chicken wire. That door? Nah, it leads to an office, with people..._

The man led me to an elevator, although at the time, I didn't know what it was. Experiments were never allowed that far.

So at that moment, I thought, _This is one small room. Am I going to die from claustrophobia?_ An Experiment died like that once. Before he died, he'd yelled that the walls were closing in on him. I shuddered.

The man glanced down at me. He broke into a warm smile, saying, "Cold? Don't worry, the office has heat. It's winter, you know." Office? _Winter?_ What was winter? "By the way, my name's Jeb."

Jeb. The name screamed _traitor!_ at me. Oh, the whitecoats had done this before. Act nice now, and then the ultimate betrayal. I set a stubborn face, refusing to look at the whitecoat. _Jeb._

_Ding._

I jumped. But it was only the elevator doors opening.

I'll spare you the boring details of our long walk to the office. It was seriously so confusing that even my internal directional skills (which are pretty great, I must say) got completely messed up.

The office had a mahogany door, with detailed carvings along the edges. Inside, the walls were all hardwood, as was the furniture. A high-tech monitor sat on the desk, with millions of papers scattered all around it.

Jeb motioned for me to sit. He himself sat down in low-backed black leather swivel chair behind the desk. Cautiously, I did what he said.

And that changed my life.

– — – — –

From that day on, Jeb became our friend, almost like a father; someone we could look up to, could talk to. Someone we could trust. Every day, from 11 AM on the dot, to 8 PM, he took all eight of the band for "Education Training."

Ed Training was basically "go, play, rest, eat, have fun" time. Supposedly, it was to hype up our intelligence rates, but games are much more interesting. Yet I can never win at Monopoly. Frustrating game, that is.

But besides that, Jeb helped us reveal our personalities. I mean, who knew that Avery and Brooke, the inseparable pair, were giggle-maniacs? Seriously, you say one innocent little thing, and there they are, cracking up at it.

Kar is his usually doggy self, loyal and forgiving, the way you'd think a real dog would be. I wonder how much canine DNA they put into him?

Later on, we also discovered powers. Yes, besides the obvious. It's pretty clear that I'm fireproof, and that Tavian is a great illusionist, y'know?

It seemed that the whitecoats had fiddled with Avery and Brookes' minds (is that why they laugh so much?), creating a mental bond. This bond allowed the girls to speak telepathically, and they each had a pretty clear picture of what the other was thinking about. Thus, inseparable.

Chai's power is really weird. Even Jeb doesn't understand it fully. All we know is that he can stare really hard at a light, and it turns on/off. How this is useful, I've no idea.

Kar, it seems, can see through walls. Like an x-ray. But he can also see through lead walls, unlike x-rays, which is pretty cool. (And you're asking me where we got lead walls. Well, in a place like the Institute, there's a lot of weird things...)

Rey is the "Superiorite," as we call him. He's the best at everything, from fighting to spelling "Mississippi." That actually isn't very good, considering that I'm the leader and all. Next thing you know, everyone's gonna be asking, '_Why isn't Rey the leader?_' But I _am_ the oldest. Oh well.

– — – — –

So, every morning, the eight of us would stare at the clock until it turned 11. Every day, Jeb would walk in just as the seconds hand ticked onto the 12. Every day, we'd turn and grin at Jeb hopefully, and he'd smile back warmly. Every day was a new day of fun, of luxury, of pure bliss.

Until today.

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A/N: Very short. I realize that. But did you know, HOMEWORK IS A CURSE!! Escpecially when you need to write a 6-pg report on something as boring as probability, HANDWRITTEN, and with 2 drafts!!!!! Yeah, okay, done ranting. I try getting the next chpt up soon. And yes, I know this wasn't a very good chapter either. 


	6. Secrets

DISCLAIMER: I don't remember if I put disclaimers on my other chapters. Did I? Oh well, I don't own MR!

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So it started out as a pretty regular day.

A couple of kicked cages here, dodging Eraser claws there, the whole nine yards. Everyone stared up at the clock, practically worshiping it.

_9:30..._

"I hope the clock would hurry up already," complained Tav. We all sympathized. Who would want to stay in this hellhole for even a second?

_10:30..._

Kar sighed. "Half an hour left."

_10:58..._

"What d'you think he's gonna let us do today?" Avery and Brooke whispered in unison. Which is pretty scary, once they start doing it all the time.

"I dunno, maybe we'll play Monopoly again," I replied.

Chai smirked. "Yeah, and I'll kick your a– "

_BANG!_

Jeb blazed in, like the sun rising from the bleak horizon. "Language, Chai," he reprimanded. I swear, he has hearing like... an elephant. Or a hawk. Whatever.

Today, Jeb seemed... distracted, maybe. Sad. Not normal, definitely. He methodically unlocked our cages, letting us crawl out. We stretched, muscles stiff from the cramped space. Then he led us to his office.

We had no handcuffs on; we never did, anymore. We were pretty much trusted enough not to run off, even though we wanted to.

The walk was silent as always. The other whitecoats didn't know that we spent hours having fun and games with Jeb, or else they'd completely ruin the whole thing, and fire Jeb along with it, too, probably. So we kept quiet.

Upon reaching the office door, the same hardwood door I'd confronted nearly a year ago, everyone let out a big sigh. Inside, Tav yelled, "Who's up for Monopoly?!"

"Yeah!" screamed Avery and Brooke.

Kar grumbled, "I _hate_ that game! I always go broke! Can't we do something nice and normal instead? Like Risk, or something. Actually, no. I say we go play flash games online."

I laughed. My friends were so amusing sometimes.

When everything was well under way, with everyone playing Monopoly, Risk, flash games, or whatever else, Jeb pulled me aside.

"Sare, come here for a minute, will you?"

"Sure." Maybe he would tell me why he'd been acting so strangely.

Jeb took me to a dark corner of the room, away from the happy band. In a low whisper, he said, "Listen to me. What I'm about to say is very important, for you, for the band, and for everyone else. Okay?"

He sounded so serious, so intense, like this was the most important thing on earth. Maybe it was.

"Take this." Jeb pushed a small, square block of plastic into my hand and folded my fingers over it. For something so small, it weighed more than I'd expected.

"Wh– " I started. But he cut me off.

"Listen, Sare. One day, I'm going to have to leave. There's going to be trouble sooner or later, preferably later, of course. What you're holding right now is a piece of advanced technology. It's like a mini-computer, and it can only work if it's activated. When I leave, remember to activate it. Inside is everything you'll need to know."

"But– "

"Just trust me. Don't forget about this. But don't tell the others yet, it might get them panicky, so keep it safe."

"But how do I keep it from the whitecoats? And how do I activate it?"

For a moment, Jeb was silent. Then, "Today, new cages are being installed. Higher security. But there's a fluke in one of them: one corner has a compartment, just the right size for this." He stared at me.

I frowned. "Let me guess: this great new cage is mine?"

"Yes. And as for activating it, just ask Chai."

Chai? Not that I didn't love the guy, but what was he going to do, turn on a light so I could see the device better? I mean, really. But I guess Jeb knew what he was doing, so I simply nodded.

"Great, now go and play, and remember not to tell anyone about this." Jeb turned me around and pushed me back towards the band. Feeling stunned, I slipped the mini-computer into my pocket.

As I approached my friends, Rey looked up from his Monopoly pieces and asked, "What was that about?"

I tried to smile, but couldn't. "Nothing important," I said, and turned away. Fingering the device, I glanced back at Jeb, who was tidying up a bookshelf. A relieved smile was on his lips, and he seemed happier, more lighthearted than before, with a certain bounce in his step.

A feeling of unease washed over me. How much responsibility and secrets had Jeb pushed onto me? Quite a lot, it seemed, and for some reason, I knew that trouble would come, definitely sooner than we'd all expected.

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A/N: Yay, I updated! -claps hands- Happy holidays everyone, and thanks for reviewing! I'd love to reply to every review I get, but my computer can't load the windows :'( But as long as you all know that I luv y'all! Review! (please?) 


	7. Going Downhill

Life went on, however reluctant it was.

Jeb never brought up the subject of the device, and neither did I. So we never talked about it again.

I'd put it in the corner of my new cage, out of sight, where no one knew about it... except me. And Jeb. Soon though, I forgot about it, once again living a daily routine, nothing special.

The device stayed where it was for three weeks.

And then...

– — – — –

It was two minutes to 11. My eyes, and the eyes of everyone in the band, were glued to the clock face.

_One minute..._

_Thirty seconds..._

_Ten seconds..._

_Three..._

_Two..._

_One..._

We all swivelled our gazes to the double-doored exit. And waited. And waited. And waited...

I glanced at the clock again. I frowned, confused. "It's five after eleven." I felt my life was going downhill, inch by inch.

Kar shrugged. "Maybe he got stuck in traffic?"

"What traffic?" Tav asked skeptically. "Maybe he's just late, that's all."

"But he's _never_ late," Avery and Brooke chorused. Which was true.

Chai muttered darkly, "There's always a first time."

I sighed and looked at the cage to my right, where Rey was. He hadn't given any input so far. The boy was still staring at the door. As if he could sense something. As if he could...

"Kalis is coming," Kar announced, squinting through the door. "She doesn't look too happy."

In seconds, the doors pushed inward to admit a scowling Kalis. She stalked over to our cages, unlocking them one by one, all the while talking to us. Or perhaps it was to herself.

"Ed Training! They want me to do _Ed Training_! Oh why, why, _why_ did Jeb have to go off and just disappear? The worst thing is that no one knows where he is. Our top scientist, gone in just a blink of the eye!"

I stared, shocked, at Kalis. _Jeb was gone?_ Then, the missing man's words drifted into my head. "_When I leave, remember to activate it. Inside is everything you'll need to know._"

I gasped inwardly. I checked to see if Kalis was near my cage. No, she was two cages down, grumbling about Avery's stuck lock. Good.

I turned and flipped open the nearly invisible cover of the secret compartment. Inside was the computer, looking like a useless chunk of plastic. But I knew it wasn't.

I stuffed the block inside a tiny pocket on my pants, hoping it didn't show through. By that time, Kalis had just finished unlocking Rey's cage, and was up to mine.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Safe, for now.

As Kalis attacked my lock, I timidly asked, "Where are you taking us?"

Kalis glanced up at me, her expression moody. "I'm moving you to a different sector. Different security. They're making room for some other experiments that are arriving soon. More important than _you_, obviously," she sneered. My lock clicked open and she moved on, continuing to ramble on and on about the new experiments, and how they were a danger to Itex.

"Wow, she's in a bad mood," Rey whispered to me. No duh, Sherlock.

We were marched down winding hallways, to where I figured was the lowest part of the building. I memorized the way, just in case I'd need to come back up. Just in case.

Finally, we arrived in a dark room full of cages. And inside the cage were, of course, experiments. But these weren't just regular experiments, these were the rejects. The failed experiments. Why were we here? Did this mean that _we_ were failures, too?

One of the room's walls was made entirely out of glass. Behind it was a curtain. _To cover up all the mistakes, all the flops, all the freaks._ How fitting.

We all gazed around uneasily, eyeing disgusting experiments. One experiment looked horribly wrong, with all its vital organs on the outside, instead of in. Lungs, kidneys, its heart... I winced and looked away.

Another had misplaced limbs. A leg grew out of its shoulder, an arm out of its hip. I bit my lip. I felt so sorry for them, but at the same time, I couldn't help thinking, _Were we condemned to be like this, too?_

Kalis started shoving us into cages. I would have struggled, at least put up a fight (which I probably would have won anyway. Humans are _so_ fragile), and, besides, I had Jeb's secret device. But at that moment, I was shocked beyond belief.

It wasn't until Kalis went away, that I came to my senses. I quickly glanced over my band, checking to see if they were okay. They were. Brooke turned towards me.

"Oh. My. Frickin'. _Gawd_."

"You could say that again," said Chai dryly.

I put on my most determined face for everyone to see, assuring them. "Don't worry, we'll be out of here soon; I know it."

My words held a confidence I didn't feel. Anxiously fingering the computer Jeb had left me, I smiled at the band. "Don't worry," I said again.

We'd break out of here soon. For sure. I mean, thinking about it, if Jeb said that the computer had all the information I needed, what could _possibly_ go wrong?

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A/N: Dun dun dunnn... Did you know, when you guys reviewed and wondered what the device was for, I found myself thinking, "Hmm, I wonder what the device is for, too... Oh wait, _I'm_ the one writing this!" -shrug- What can I say, I don't even really really know where this is headed.

Btw, does anyone recognize the room where Sare's being held? xD Check MR1!


	8. Friends and Foes

I sighed. Shortly after Kalis left, a surly-looking keeper came to ,well, guard. At a desk right in front of me. _Facing_ me, too. So, unfortunately, I couldn't try any "funny business," like escape. No chance at all.

And, that keeper is the meanest creature on earth. The spawn of Satan. (As well as the whitecoats, of course :)) Tav was whispering to Chai, probably planning some diabolical prank. There were no rules saying we couldn't talk, but guess what Mr. Meany does?

"You, and you, stop talking."

Of course the two pranksters stop. For like, two seconds. Then they start up again.

"...What d'we do..."

".. I can make it so that... and we all disappear..."

".. Genius!.. That's so..."

"QUIET!" Chai and Tav looked up and stared at the keeper. Then Chai gave Tav a signal, and Tav made it look like we'd disappeared. The keeper pretty much freaked out.

He jumped up from his chair and grabbed a phone on his desk. "Security! The new experiments have escaped! _I don't know_, they just disappeared right in front of me!" Then he ran off to the exit, to see if we were somehow miraculously there. Yeah, right.

Tav let the illusion drop, and let out a big breath. Poor kid, illusions really take a lot out of him.

Just then, the keeper came back, with a dozen or so security guards behind him. Being good little boys and girls, the seven of us stared up at the guy innocently.

"I don't see any problem here, sir," a guard said sourly. Probably annoyed at having wasted his time coming here.

"B-but! They were just, I mean, they– !" The keeper sputtered his head turning red as a tomato. Haha, Tomato-Head, what a nice nickname.

"If you'll excuse us, we'll be heading back now..." The security guards left, leaving a very, very, may I repeat, _very_ angry keeper.

He whirled upon Chai and Tav, knowing that they were the cause of the trouble. "You! And you!" The man could barely get the words out, shaking with anger. I was starting to get scared for Chai and Tav...

The keeper knew he wasn't allowed to kill us, or subject us to Eraser tormenting, so all he ended us doing was separating the band. Like, I was in one corner, Chai was across the room, Tav was somewhere else. But at least the keeper wasn't sitting right in front of me. I could now at least try to escape, one way or another.

– — – — –

My new cage was in a cramped section, where everything was haphazardly put in rows. A lot of experiments were right next to me, where I could talk to them. Maybe I could convince them to escape...

I looked around. Around me were six other cages, all of which I could see clearly. Right next to me was a small cage, with a black terrier in it, sleeping. I squinted to see the card on the cage's outside, and could faintly see the word _Total_. So, his name was Total.

Total seemed pretty normal to me, nothing special, and not at all looking like a mutant. _Lucky you_, I thought. Then I sighed again.

Total the normal dog opened its eyes, its coal-black orbs staring at me. I smiled at it tiredly. "Hi doggy," I whispered.

"_Excuse me?_ I _do_ have a name, you know."

I frowned. Was it just me, or was Total talking? Maybe he wasn't so normal after all.

"Sorry, Total. My name's Sare."

The dog sniffed. "Well, at least you have manners, unlike _some people_." He scrunched up his nose. I didn't mention how good-mannered people usually returned greetings. But then again, he was a dog. "So, what are you?"

I half-smiled. What was I? Well, to start, I was a mutant, a fireproof one at that, a 13-year-old girl, and must I go on? But I just said, "Meaning what?"

"Meaning, what type of hybrid are you?"

"Avian. You?"

"Oh. I actually don't know." Total slumped down to the floor, looking pitiful.

I leaned back onto a side of my cage. "Does it even matter anymore?"

Total's black head perked up. "No, not really. But we're breaking out of here soon, I know that for sure."

I blinked. How did he know we were going to escape? With his head, Total motioned towards another experiment next to him, father away from me. "Hey, you," he called.

The experiment raised its head slightly, raven-black hair sliding across a pale forehead. His sapphire eyes focused on the pair of us, looking haunted and possessed. He seemed about 8 years old, but shadows crossed his face, making him appear older. Oh, and one more thing: he had wings. Like me.

Total, the ever-happy-and-perky puppy, introduced me. "Sare, meet Quory. Quory, meet Sare. Y'see, Quory here can tell the future. And he's usually right. That's a good thing, right?"

* * *

A/N: Yay! You all guessed right! Yeah, they're in that place where Max springs them. I seem to have a lot of time on my hands, so maybe, just _maybe_, I'll be able to write another chapter up by next week. But only if you all review! I need maybe 5 reviews 'til the next update? So get all your friends and make them review! Lol. 

Special thanks to Canada-Star, for being such a great supporter, right from the beginning! -applause- xD

Oh, and Total might be a little OOC, since I don't really know his character. Besides, he always seemed like an overly-perky thing to me :)


	9. Escape

A/N: I've been wanting to post this for a long time. I've been stopping myself from posting because the shortness of this chapter will not satisfy, and wanted to add more. I've been keeping this chapter in my documents for ages. I've been not writing more. I've been thinking I should just get this chpt posted and done with. So I have.

I woke to the sound of Total's excited yapping.

"Oh great, oh great, oh _greatgreatgreat_! This is the best thing _ever_!"

"I'm glad you think so," Quory said. His voice was layered with pain, I could hear.

I sat up tiredly. "Wha's hap'nin'?" I asked, words slurred from sleep. I was about five o'clock in the morning.

"We're gonna escape! Like, _today_!" Total howled shrilly. I winced, all sleepiness gone, and glanced around furtively.

"One, shut _up_, just in case any unwanted ears are listening, and, two, how do you know we're escaping today?"

Total pouted, as much as a dog can pout. "When Quory predicts things, he doesn't know _exactly_ when it happens, but when what he predicts is about to happen soon, he gets bad headaches."

"_Very_ bad ones," Quory croaked.

I bit my lip, feeling sorry for Quory, but I also felt a bubble of hope and joy inside me. I'd only been in this sector for a couple of days, but the way we were treated was disgusting. Despicable. I couldn't wait to get out of here. And the device...

I felt my pants pocket, just to make sure it was still there. I'd kept Jeb's promise, not telling anyone about it, but soon, I'd have to use it. With Chai's help. And, to do that, I'd of course have to see Chai.

I wondered where the rest of the band was. Yes, Total and Quory were... _interesting_ company, to say the least, but I missed my friends. Funny Tav, goofy Chai, and even Avery and Brooke, who annoyed the hell out of anyone.

Hours passed, and I began to get drowsy, wondering when breakfast would come. If we'd get breakfast at all today. Sometimes the keeper would "forget, " and wouldn't feed the experiments for a whole day. My head dropped lower and lower and lower...

_GRRR-RR-R-IIT!_

I sat up. The glass wall had started sliding open. And behind it were six figures, standing still, gazing at the rows of cages.

Mutants.

Just like us.

I gasped.

"Sare, they've come to free us!" Total hissed. Were they really? Or was this some odd hallucination? I laughed weakly.

A young girl walked toward my direction, and stopped at Total's cage. "Hi doggie," she said. "Hi little doggie. You look like Toto. From _The Wizard of Oz_?" I suppressed a snort. If Quory or I said anything like that to Total, he'd be threatening to bite our ears off. But toward this girl, he simply wagged his tail. If I were in his place, I would, too.

"Start popping latches," I heard someone whisper.

So it was true.

We were really going to escape.

Another girl, older than the other one, soon came up to my cage, unlocking it. She looked like the leader of the group.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" I whispered.

Her reply? "_Kids don't belong in cages_." I could've hugged her right then and there, with tears of joy trickling down my cheeks. In a louder voice, the girl announced, "Okay everybody. Let's blow this joint."

The mutants led a large group of experiments toward the exit, on the other side of the glass wall. I'd never been here before, and so I wasn't sure of the route we were taking.

"This way!" another girl encouraged. "Don't be afraid."

Behind her, a taller mutant grimly said, "I hear voices. Be _very_ afraid." What great encouragement.

We went through a door into a dark, dank, tunnel. "Where are we?" I asked the leader.

"Sewer system, under a big city," she said shortly. _New York,_ I thought. "On our way out to fresh air and sunlight."

Suddenly, a gravelly voice growled behind us. "But not just _yet_. First we need to chat, Maximum. You and I. For old times' sake."

An Eraser.

I went still. My mind started panicking. In this cramped tunnel, he'd be sure to get us...

The girl handed me a small experiment that she'd been holding in her arms, and turned to face the Eraser. "Back again? What are _you_ doing here? I thought Dad was keeping you on a short leash." As she spoke, she made 'run!' motions with her hand. I took the hint and ran.

As I left, I could hear sounds of fighting. I followed the other mutants through a whole network of tunnels. Finally, we reached the exit. We were inside a subway tunnel, the ones I had read about so often, with Jeb. Then, a faraway, booming voice coming from behind. "_He was my son!_"

I couldn't help it. I froze. Could that be... _Jeb_? It certainly sounded like it. I half-turned, ready to run back in. There were so many questions I wanted to ask. I wanted to go back in, hug Jeb. Maybe he would take the band and I back to his office. We'd play games, talk, laugh...

I was snapped out of my reverie with a hard poke on my shoulder, I turned and looked up impatiently. "Listen, Rey, it's– "

"Come on, hurry up." I squinted towards the man. In the bad lighting, he looked just like Rey, but it wasn't. It was one of the mutants that had come to free us, Fang, I think he was called.

"Sorry," I muttered. Casting one last glance toward the mouth of the tunnel, I walked away.

* * *

A/N: Eurgh, sucky, Iknow. See rambling above and let's not pay attention to my updating... or lack of. Hehe D Well, all I can say is, I've been busy, quite. Sorry.

Oh, btw: check out my other story, Conversation! Er, it'll give you a good laugh... I hope... Plus, I update it quicker cuz it's easier to xD


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